study with townes

hello anon! first and foremost, I am SO sorry this took so long! I’d love to share some of my favorite books on the subject. I’m going to toss in a few books on political theory that I especially enjoy since that’s my specialty.

International relations 

Germs, Guns, and Steel by Jared Diamond (the first book I was ever assigned at UCLA!)

The Tragedy of Power Politics by John J. Mearsheimer

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff

Challenging Beijing’s Mandate of Heaven: Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement by Ming-Sho Ho.

Political theory 

The Leviathan’s Conscience: Hobbesian Human Nature and Moral Judgement, an article by John Branstetter

Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Tolerance by Teresa M. Bejan

Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly by Judith Butler

Ancient Near East

When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney (I am partial to any literature by Professor Cooney because she runs my department)

 The Bible Unearthed by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman

A History of the Ancient Near East by Marc Van de Mieroop (a textbook, yes, but also SUCH a good read!)

Archaeology 

The Stones Cry Out by Randall Price (my first ‘out of class’ archaeology book, found in a local thrift store)

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline

I didn’t go to law school. I didn’t get in anywhere. I take pride in my academic performance and when I failed to get in anywhere, I let the disappointment get to me.

instead of announcing this ‘failure’ on this blog, I kept quiet, began working full-time for a firm in my town, and started studying to retake the LSAT.

now, it’s test day!! I feel leagues better about this test than I did my August 2021 exam and am so excited to reapply to all the schools I went for last cycle.

good luck to everyone testing this weekend! you’ve worked so hard for it and all that’s left to do is sit down and DO IT!

28 april 2022 - a rare study update

Hello love! Apologies for the late response, classes have been really putting me through it these past few months.

Maintaining motivation during school can be so difficult. Whenever I feel myself weening, I do two things. First, I take a break. It can be easy to ignore the desire to take a breather and just exist in the moment without the pressure of school, but I promise it is essential to maintaining the same level of focus. You may feel that any moment of silence is a moment of failure. It’s a natural conditioning of our academic system. However, you’ve already proven to yourself your capacity to succeed with such a high GPA, well done! Use that to reassure yourself in moments of doubt. Second, I take a new approach. Trying out new methods of study can refresh your ability to tackle an assignment and leave you feeling refreshed as opposed to burnt out.

In regards to your path after school, if you know law school is the next step, I recommend taking a year or two off to diversify your portfolio with work experience. By refraining from being a KJD (someone that goes through all schooling without time off), you are able to set yourself apart from other applicants with work experience that indicates your interest in the industry. Dedicate your time to work and studying for the LSAT, if that is something you need to take for your application (like I did in the US). Remember to enjoy yourself as well, though. Don’t limit yourself with tunnel vision. If you ever need further advice, my inbox is always open and I am always here to offer support.